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Reuters

Ukrainian photographer Maksim Levin was “executed in cold blood” alongside his friend Oleksiy Chernyshov by Russian forces north of Kyiv on March 13, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in a 16-page report on Wednesday.
“The evidence against the Russian forces is overwhelming,” the press freedom group said in an introduction to the report on its website.
Reuters could not independently verify the report’s conclusions.
Russia’s defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Born in 1981, Levin was a documentary filmmaker and had occasionally contributed to Reuters coverage of the country since 2013.
He went missing on March 13, the day RSF says he was executed.
Russian air strikes hit Kyiv, ‘850 civilians nearby executed by gunshot’
John Pullman, Reuters global managing editor for visuals, said of Levin in April: “His death is a huge loss to the world of journalism. Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.”
RSF said it examined evidence at the scene which included bullets and Levin’s burnt-out car, as well as photos taken of Levin and Chernyshov’s bodies when they were discovered on April 1.
The report said the position of Chernyshov’s body and other evidence indicated he may have been burned alive and Levin was likely to have been killed by one or two gunshots from close range.
It said a photo of his corpse showed three visible bullet impacts.

⚡️#Ukraine🇺🇦: in an exclusive investigation including material evidence, RSF reveals that journalist #MaksLevin and his friend were executed by Russian soldiers on 13 March 2022.https://t.co/qFT5WmMw6X pic.twitter.com/AiLs5lN6ec
— RSF (@RSF_inter) June 22, 2022

RSF gathered evidence from May 24 to June 3.
Ukrainian prosecutors say Levin was killed by two shots from small arms by members of Russia’s armed forces. Reuters was unable to independently verify this information.


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Maksim Levin and his friend Oleksiy Chernyshov were killed ‘in cold blood’, Reporters Without Borders said in a 16-page report
The group says evidence indicates Chernyshov may have been burned alive and Levin was probably killed by one or two gunshots from close range



Reporters Without Borders says Maksim Levin was probably killed by one or two gunshots from close range, while evidence suggests his friend Oleksiy Chernyshov may have been burned alive.


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